


Is Your Love Strong Enough?

by thebitchofdathomir



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: And in this house, And shit sucks, But TLJ parallels Ladyhawke so much like it’s not even funny how well it matches up, But also sad Reylo, Devoted Reylo, F/M, Finn and Poe are gay, I know others have said this before, Its medieval-y, Ladyhawke AU, M/M, Rating May Change, Rey is a lady of the night, Snoke is a dick, So Bear With me, TLJ is the god tier, This fic probably requires terminology and historical knowledge that I do not have, but not in the way you think lol, but we all know that, i'll add tags as i go, summary sucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:54:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23628004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebitchofdathomir/pseuds/thebitchofdathomir
Summary: When Finn and Poe escape the dungeons of Chandrila, it sparks a manhunt, ordered by his Grace, Snoke, and his royal guard, led by Captain Armitage Hux.But once the two men are rescued by a tall, brooding stranger, Finn and Poe find themselves swept up into a world of tragedy, love, and revenge as they come to know the story of Ben Solo and the magnificent hawk that travels with him.And perhaps it will help them solve the mystery of the woman who appears at night who dares to walk with a fierce black wolf.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 17
Kudos: 42





	1. Escape from Chandrila

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew better than to start this story when I have a shit ton of other stuff to do (including another fanfiction) and yet I did it anyway...self-control is a thing of the past. 
> 
> I don't know how often I will update this but I still want this to exist somehow so here. Take it. Quarantine is frying my brain.

Mitaka has checked three times, and asked the prisoners in the surrounding cells twice. He is fraught with nerves and worry as the two men he was meant to bring up to be hanged were nowhere to be found. 

There’s a sick man in their cell and Mitaka hasn’t gotten an answer out of him yet. Checking once more, he enters the cell, looking around once more to make sure they weren’t there. “You there!” he shouts to the old man, muttering to himself against the stones. “There were two others with you. Where are they?”

The man wheezes in laughter, choking on something and Mitaka is glad the dungeons are dark and he can’t see whatever has been coughed up. 

“Not today. They’ve gone away. To ease the pain, gone down the drain!” he laughs wildly, finally getting some air in his lungs. 

“That’s impossible!” Mitaka declares. “They must be here. The very concept of escaping these dungeons is ludicrous!” Mitaka says, trying to convince himself his words were true but seeing the old man might be right. 

The two prisoners were gone. But how?

“How did they do it? How did they escape?” Mitaka asks next, unsure what to do.

“I’ve already told you, gentle lord,” The man wheezes again but raises a shaky hand, pointing to the sewage drain in the ground. A ridiculously small grate that Mitaka doubts anyone could worm through. 

But if the alternative was to be hanged, Mitaka is certain he might have tried to squeeze through himself if it meant he had the chance to escape. He’s often thought about escape from Chandrila but he knew he wouldn’t get far.

Mitaka wonders what awaits him even now. If it is discovered he was guarding during their escape, he would be hanged anyway. Which is why they needed to be found. If they were caught, he still held a chance.

Shutting the dungeon door behind him, Mitaka rushes to tell the others. They couldn’t get away. 

Or else he fears what Captain Hux may do, especially when Snoke finds out.

* * *

“I see it! Let’s climb!” Poe points above them to the light coming in through the grate.

Finn shakes his head, fighting to keep his face above the water. “Poe, that takes us up to the church. We can’t leave through there! If we keep swimming we can make it out to the moat and escape unnoticed.”

Poe groans, splashing back into the water. “Fine. We’re never going to be able to get this smell off of us though.”

“It’s better than being dead,” Finn reminds him. 

Poe gags as the waters rush past them. “I think that’s debatable.”

Finn rolls his eyes. “Shut up and follow me,” he tells him before sucking in a deep breath and diving under the water.

* * *

They had navigated through the sewers, extremely relieved when they see they had ended up in the moat. Both of them were as quiet as they could be as they waded, not wanting to draw too much attention. 

They see two guards eating their breakfast and chatting at the edge of the bank. 

Poe presses a finger to his lips, signaling for Finn to be quiet as he approached them. Finn shook his head, thinking it was too risky, already astounded enough that they got out of the sewers and thought better than to press their luck. 

But Finn also knew that the first charge Poe Dameron had been arrested for was thievery. And damn, was he a good pickpocket. 

He not only stole some scraps of bread without the guards noticing but also untied a small sack of coins hanging from the belt. 

The guards never even knew they were there. 

* * *

Armitage is already sweating as he rushes to Snoke’s quarters. 

Minutes ago he was watching the daily rounds of filth get hung up by their throats, ridding their kingdom of scum one person at a time. But then he heard the frantic shouting and the bellowing of the other knights, revealing that two prisoners had escaped. 

Snoke would not be pleased. 

He approaches the doors quickly, knocking urgently only to get a loud response to enter. 

Snoke, the Bishop, sits at his chair, still wearing his dressing gowns. But even those are golden and resemble his usual elaborate robes. Hux tries not to notice the three other women in the bed, sleeping and covered only in the sheets. 

“You dare disturb me during my morning, Captain?” Snoke grumbles, sounding very unamused.

“Apologies, my grace,” Hux says quickly as he drops to one knee before his chair, kissing his ring in respect. Snoke looks bored but seems to allow him to stay. “But it is due to a matter of utmost importance. It seems two prisoners have escaped.”

Snoke cackles at first. “Impossible. One cannot escape the dungeons of Chandrila. The people of this city accept that as a historical fact.”

“I’m afraid these two have. But it is highly unlikely they will be able to maneuver through the sewers. We will catch them. The responsibility is mine,” Hux adds, knowing Snoke expects him to say it.

“Yes,” Snoke hisses, looking away from him. 

Hux grits his teeth, wishing the man didn’t intimidate him as much as he did. He knows Snoke can see it. He had an eye of weakness and manipulation.

So he tries to ease the blow with what he can. “At any rate. These are but two petty criminals. Totally insignificant.

Snoke scoffs. “Great storms announce themselves with a gentle breeze. And a single random spark can ignite the fires of rebellion. Hope is something I will not allow.”

“Of course, sir. I will find them and return.”

“Go! See that they don’t get away.” Snoke hangs his hand out again and Hux leans forward to kiss his ring once again. 

Hux stands, rushing for the doors, holding his sword steady as he runs to his horse, ordering for the men in the church rooves to ring the bells. 

He would not let these men escape. He could only imagine what Snoke would do if they did.

And Hux tries to steady himself by thinking about what he will do to Mitaka for allowing this to happen. That man was still just a boy. A foolish, nervous boy who had a weak stomach and an even weaker body. He was no warrior. He was better off being a jester. 

* * *

Finn’s heart pounds in his chest as he and Poe sprint madly up the hill. But they both freeze when they hear the bells. 

“I think they finally noticed,” Poe cracks, still trying to move forward after the initial shock passes.

“We knew they would.”

“Yeah, but we should be further by now. They’ll have horses. We’ll never outrun them,” Poe huffs, trying to get air after running.

“We can try. If we stick to the woods, they might miss us.”

Poe laughs, although he doesn’t find anything particularly funny. “Well, even if we prolong the inevitable, I guess it’s one hell of a way to go. Getting chased by the fucking Knights of Ren who want us seen hung by our throats.”

Finn laughs too, maybe just to keep up the sense of hope and lightness in what seemed to be a rather doomed situation.

As they reach the treeline over a hill, they look back at the kingdom they had finally escaped from. Poe claps Finn on the back. “We’ll never see it again,” he whispers. 

“If we’re lucky,” Finn chides.

Poe kisses Finn’s temple quickly before pulling him by the arm, their haste returning.

“Well, we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have if didn’t have just a little bit of luck.”

Finn smiles, thinking he was right. They had a chance. 

So they run.

They run for hours until the light of the late afternoon seemed to guide them to a small village along a road.

They steal some clothes from a clothesline as well as some shoes. Finn’s were too big and Poe’s were too tight. It wasn’t until they had run half a mile that he realized they might have been slippers but it’s better than running barefoot through all the twigs. 

They spend the night in the forest, huddling close for warmth and panicking when they hear the distant howling of a wolf, fearing they would be eaten. 

But then morning comes and they rise again, trying to keep going onward.

But they don’t go far before a small inn comes into sight from beyond the tree line. And their pounding headaches and growling stomachs seem to pull them closer without their consent. 

“I’ve never seen this place. I don’t think I’ve ever run so far.”

“Me either,” Finn laughs, patting him on the back. Poe pulls out the small sack of coins he had stolen from the guard before they left Chandrila. 

They see the innkeeper beating a rug out in the dirt out front, a little too close to where others were eating their breakfast. Finn thinks he could smell eggs and his stomach seems to shout at him, demanding some.

Poe looks to the miserable man with a smile, holding Finn’s shoulder. “Excuse me, sir. We would like two-morning meals and a drink of your most expensive.”

Finn rolls his eyes but still smirks, admiring Poe enthusiasm, even after all they’ve been through. 

The fat man scoffs. “Show me your money first,” he barks.

Poe gives the small pouch a shake so the man can hear what sits inside. He gives a nod before moving to prepare the food. 

Finn takes a deep breath, a sigh of relief for the first time in what feels like weeks. Now that they seemed to be far enough, he could finally admire the air and scenery around him. It was so beautiful to see. The sky especially. He had missed it when he and Poe were locked away in Chandrila. 

Poe grabs a loaf of bread, ripping it in half and shoving a piece into Finn’s mouth with a smile. “Eat, my love. We must celebrate. In fact, we all must celebrate,” he bellows out so the other people out on the benches turned to him. “You must all join us in a toast.”

“Poe,” Finn warned.

His name was all he said but Poe heard the warning it held. “Oh, but I can’t miss the opportunity to share the story of the brave men who have seen the dungeons of Chandrila and lived to tell the tale.”

“Then you drink to us, my friend. For we have seen those dungeons,” a voice hollers back but neither Finn or Poe see who has said it. But everyone looks to a table of three men, all hidden by a dark hood. Finn’s stomach goes into knots as he swears he’s heard the voice before.

And yet it does nothing to stop Poe’s antics. The showman in him kept going. “Blacksmiths? Carpenter? Perhaps even stonecutters you may be. But there’s no way you could ever have been prisoners who escaped the trenches of that filthy dungeon.”

The man pulls back his hood, revealing a greasy mane of ginger. “I never said we were prisoners.”

He looks to them with a knowing smirk as he reaches for his sword and the others take off their hoods as well. 

_Hux and the Knights._

The Captain laughs wickedly. “So foolish you two are. If you had stuck to the woods you may have had a chance...but your little vacation is over.” Hux looks to the two other knights beside him. “Get them.”

They all rise up and Finn grabs Poe’s hand, pulling him away but they see four more knights emerge from behind the stables, charging for them. 

They try to evade their siege but it is pointless. They were no match for Chandrila’s ruthless warriors.

Within moments, Finn and Poe have been grabbed and pulled apart. Both of them were held back by two men each, a sword at each of their throats. 

Hux sat at the bench, looking very amused, and slowly applauding them. He rises, stepping closer to them. “Congratulations, men. You two managed to make very large fools of yourselves.” 

Finn wrestles to get free from the men holding him, not wanting this to be how it ends. But the sword that had been at his throat slips forward and the end pokes Hux in the shoulder. The Captain staggers back slightly, his face so enraged with red that it matched his hair.

Finn knew then that he had just doubled, tripled, his death sentence. Men were hung for much less in Chandrila, even accidents like this one.

“Kill them,” Hux grounds out. “Starting with him,” Hux points to Finn after finding his bearings. 

“No! Please, stop!” Poe screams out, trying to fight off the men holding him back. 

As the Knight raises his sword, Finn shuts his eyes tight, hoping it will be over soon. 

But then the Knight’s sword clammers to the ground and he holds his arm in pain. It’s then that the sounds and images seem to catch up for everyone as they see the arrow that was lodged in his elbow between his armor. 

Finn tries to catch his breath as he looks to a figure across from them that was not there before he had closed his eyes.

Not even fifteen feet away stood a man. A tall, broad man, clad all in black and wielding a crossbow in his hands.

Everything seems to stop then. The Knights. Hux. Poe’s shouting. Time. All of it. Everyone looks to this man in shock.

But where Finn only has questions, the two men holding him back seem to have answers. “It’s him,” one whispers.

“I thought he was dead,” the other one breathes out as if he was saying the name of a ghost. 

One knight breaks the stillness and tries to advance forward, but the crossbow fired off again, striking him in the chest, sending him to the ground. The man looks totally unaffected despite likely just killing a man.

And yet no one else moved. They just waited. 

“You two,” the man called out in a deep voice, looking to Finn and Poe. “Out.” He nodded his head behind him, urging them to move away. And strangely enough, the hold on their arms were eased as they were allowed to step away.

Whoever this man was, clearly the Knights were afraid of him.

Hux pulled out his sword as if to push them back where they were but then the mysterious man drew his own, holding it out with one hand while the other held the crossbow. “Leave it, Hux. Just let them go.”

And that’s all it took to get Finn and Poe out of their reach and together they stepped towards their savior. 

Hux grits his teeth, fuming in anger still but forces a chuckle as he saunters closer to Kylo.

“I always knew you were stupid, Ren. I knew if you weren’t dead you would be foolish enough to show your face again...and here you are, to prove my point.”

Finn and Poe watch from further behind their rescuer. The man doesn’t answer. He just watches. 

But then one of the Knights moves, raising his sword, but not in attack. A Knight with a stomach rounder than most of the others smiles as the man knocks his own sword against his as if to greet each other. 

“Captain Solo,” the Knight breathes out. His eyes portraying what looked to be immense respect, vastly different from the fear in the eyes of the others.

_Solo?_

Finn thinks he might have heard that name before.

“Hello, Boris,” the man speaks again, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Captain?” Hux growls, rushing forward and pushing the friendly Knight into the tall man’s blade, killing him almost instantly. 

“No!” the large men cried but Hux’s voice boomed over his as he gave his orders.

“Seize them all!”

Finn doesn’t wait to see what happens then as the frenzy resumes, pulling Poe along to the stables. If they could get some horses, they could get far enough where they couldn’t be found. They had a second chance and he wasn’t going to waste it. 

And maybe this whole endeavor taught Poe to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

Ben looked to his old friend, speared through the stomach with his own sword. But it was not his will or strength that put him there. 

Boris. His most loyal Knight when he had been his Captain. 

Feeling murderous, he looks up to Hux and the other knights as they make to attack him. He rises, using the crossbow to deliver a strong blow across three of them side by side. They fall back and he chucks it to the dirt, bringing a second hand to his sword and swinging wide, making them all back up. 

They crowd him, inching forward but then Ben smells the innkeeper’s fire and he strikes out, managing to snag only one but rejoices when he falls to the ground, holding his stomach. 

His hunger for battle, for revenge, has gone unquenched for so long. He has the impulse to strike them all down. To make them suffer and ensure they die by his hand. 

But then he hears the hawk call from the sky, as well as the sound of flustered horses from the stable. The two men were likely trying to escape, and he couldn’t let them. 

He saved them for a reason and he wouldn’t let them get away.

So, Ben spins for the fire, his cape twirling with him as he kicks up the wood towards them. It catches onto Hux’s cape and he the man panics as he tries to smack it out, requiring the help of two others. 

Ben grabs the iron rod that was red hot from above where the fire had been and pulls it back far, swinging it back around to whack the two men still advancing on him. He doesn’t kill them but the blows make them hunch over in pain, likely trying to soothe broken ribs.

Before Ben turns away, eager to chase after the two men he came for, he takes one last look at Boris. Their dear friend who had tried to help them when they were foolish enough to think running would be enough. Ben wishes he had time to say farewell. To bury him and let him rest. 

But he can’t. 

So, he picks up his sword and crossbow and rushes for his horse. Hopefully, this ridiculous plan would prove to be worth it. 

But Ben was a desperate man. And for those in desperation, ridiculous plans would have to do.

As he speeds away, he can hear Hux scream his name in disdain, likely having extinguished the fire that nearly burned half his ass off.

“Solo!”

* * *

“How do you even get on a horse?” Finn exclaims, frustrated with how the horse he was trying to mount kept running away from him.

Poe however, watched with a sweaty brow from where he was already atop his own horse. “Jump, Finn! Just get on the thing for fuck’s sake!”

“You think I’m not trying?”

Poe huffs, looking around, worried for time. “Never mind, leave her,” he said as the horse scampered away from Finn once again. “Just ride with me,” he says, holding out his hand to pull him up. Finn takes it, coming to sit behind him and Poe pulls on the reigns as they speed off, away from the stable and back out onto the road. 

Finn grips Poe’s shirt, holding on for dear life. Their heartbeats pounding with every beat of the horse’s hooves on the ground. And as the noise became deafening, they realized it was not just the gallop of their horse they were hearing, but another’s as well. 

“Poe, where’s it coming from?”

But before Poe could answer, a fork in the road appears from behind the hedges, and with it, a large black stallion blocks their path, scaring their horse and slowing their stride.

But as the horse lowers to his hooves, they see the rider’s face.

And it was once again the mysterious man. The man that saved their lives.

“Come with me,” is all he demands as he turns his horse out to the road. As they look to his back they hear him speak further, his voice deep and demanding. “And if you don’t, know that I won’t hesitate to finish what they started,” he says as his horse starts to take stride. With nowhere else to go but forward, Poe pulled on the reigns, obeying the man’s demands.

Even if it sounded just as much as a threat as it was a rescue.

The two men were wary as they rode behind their rescuer. Unsure what he would benefit from their survival or why he would risk getting involved with them. They each had plenty of questions that clearly weren't going to be answered.

Before they made it much further, they finally realized the call of the bird that been flying overhead was circling lower and lower until the man held out his arm and it perched upon him. 

As if he had done it a thousand times before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! A lot of these stories I write because they are in my brain and I need to get them down so they stop bothering me. Thank you if you read Lorelei or From This Point On. Both of those are really special to me.
> 
> [If you read From This Point On, I'd like to apologize for what I did to Boris in this chapter. I know you hate me but we will see more of him in flashback chapters to come]
> 
> I'm also working on another Reylo fic right now that I'm really enjoying called [It's Where the Monsters Go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23636410/chapters/56728966). It's about monsters that aren't really monsters in a little old place called Mortis. It's pretty crazy but I'm liking it so far.


	2. Getting Acquainted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little messy but hopefully, you get the idea of what's going on.
> 
> So far, this lines up pretty much with the movie. It won't always be like that in this story but I'm sure that those of you who have seen Ladyhawke will recognize a lot of these scenes and how they end up.

In the hours since their hasty escape, their rescuer has barely spoken anything aside from one-word responses. 

It seemed as if he was in a hurry to get somewhere so when they arrived at a small cottage in a wooded glen, they assumed it to be his home. But then another man, a rather frightening and almost skeletal fellow, appeared with a hatchet and a black hood and asked them what their business was.

“What you doin’ on my property?” he shouted as well as he could with the few teeth that he had.

“My friends and I require lodging for the night,” their rescuer had answered calmly. "I wonder if you would be so kind as to accommodate us."

The man with the hatchet grumbled as he looked to them before answering. “You would have to pay!”

“That can be arranged,” he responded, looking to Poe who still had the small sack of coins. Poe had been hesitant to hand it over but clearly the man had a reason for wanting to stay here. And he had saved their lives, even if neither of them knew why. 

So Poe tossed the money over. 

The man with few teeth marveled at the sound of the coins in the small pouch as he peaked inside. When he finally looked to them again, he barked, “You can sleep in the stables,” before lurking back to his cottage.

It had all been a very strange interaction. In fact, everything about the day, including the rescue, had been a most peculiar whirlwind, Finn thinks to himself.

* * *

Dinner comes before sunset. Their rescuer had hunted a modestly sized rabbit while they gathered firewood. While he slowly cooked it over the fire, Finn and Poe kept looking to each other, urging the other to say something after sitting in such uncomfortable silence. 

Finn nearly finds the courage to ask him his true name, confused by the few they heard from the Knights. But then the man speaks first, offering him a share of the meal. "Here."

“Oh,” Finn quickly takes the meat. A small amount but a wonderful sight after going hungry for so long. “Thank you.”

They all eat in silence which doesn’t take long so the awkwardness soon returns as they waited for an explanation or at that point, any kind of conversation at all. 

Clearly, when they asked questions they didn’t get answers as proven from their long ride earlier that day.

But, as Poe had already proved once earlier that morning, he liked to hear himself speak. “So what happens? You talk first? We talk first?”

The man finally looks up at them although his countenance remains the same. Hee looks unamused at the attempt to lighten the mood. Finn thinks it might only prolong the silence further but he finally speaks. 

“What were you two arrested for in Chandrila?” He asks, not looking up from where he was working the fire and turning the stick with the meat still cooking.

Both Finn and Poe eye the extra pieces as it was the first time in so long they had a cooked meal. 

Poe clears his throat. “Thievery. We have a pickpocket routine.”

Finn nods at his response. That was the truth but not all of it. And Poe was right to leave it at that. 

“Hmm,” the man nods. His eyes travel up then to the bird still watching them from the fence and then to the sky. Finn wondered what he was looking for since the bird was perched. 

“I know you have questions, but I can’t tell you everything now. So I will give you this...I saved you because I need help. I need help for a job.”

“What kind of job?” Poe asks.

The man shakes his head, looking to the sky again. “I will give you the rest of the details tomorrow. But for now, I think you both owe me the benefit of the doubt given where you were when I found you. So, I expect you to be ready to talk in the morning and for tonight to end here as I must retire.”

Finn’s brow furrows as he looks around them it wasn’t even completely dark yet. 

_Hell, this guy must wake up early,_ Finn thinks to himself.

The man stands, looking to them with the smallest hint of kindness. “I know your names are Poe and Finn. I _was_ listening earlier when you were talking to me. Forgive me for not responding. My mind is a busy place as of late and I’m afraid conversation has never been my strength, especially in the presence of strangers.”

He moves over to stand before the hawk at the fence, gently stroking its head. As if it were more of a cat than a hawk. More tenderly than Finn or Poe would have expected from the crossbow-wielding man they met at the small outpost this morning.

“I am not to be disturbed and I suggest you two find another place in the stables to sleep,” he says, his tone returning to his usual demands. “You are to keep that fire burning and the food that remains does not get eaten. It is not for you."

Finn and Poe wonder who the hell he could mean. He offers no explanation as to who might be joining them, both of them doubting it would be their toothless host from the cottage. “If I find out either of you ate it, you won’t get shares for tomorrow’s meals,” he threatens as he stomps away.

“Whoa wait!” Poe protests but must think against it by the look he throws him from over his shoulder. Poe clears his throat, likely changing what his response would have been. “What do we call you?”

“My name is Ben,” he answers, his voice low. He looks to the fire then, his countenance falling from his usual strength to something much more somber. “Ben Solo.” And with that he turned away, moving back into the stable for the night. 

Finn and Poe remain around the fire. And the hawk stayed there too, watching them exactly as the old saying said. It stays like that for a few minutes before flying after its Master. 

* * *

Ben went into the stables, feeling almost lightheaded. 

It had been so long since he had spoken his own _full_ name. Since he had heard it spoken aloud at all. It had snapped something in his chest, awakening the past in a way he has forced himself to shut away amidst this hell. 

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the roaring waves in his mind and in his heart. He steps over to his horse, Silencer, patting his mane. Ben tries to match his breathing to the movement of his hands over the horse's head. 

The hawk appears then, giving a small squawk as she settles on the fence.

Ben can then hear them talking softly around the fire. Finn and Poe. He wonders if they were reluctant to speak with the hawk present.

He desperately hopes that they proved to be more useful than they seemed to be. As foolish and tiresome as they appeared, it does not distract Ben from the fact that they were the first people to ever escape the dungeons of Chandrila undetected. 

He knew those dungeons well. He knew them well enough to know the stories were true. No one ever escaped. And yet they did. 

Which is why Ben needed them.

He feels himself getting overwhelmed at the thought of everything that is to come. He isn’t certain of what he can do, he just knows he has to try. He had to do whatever he could. He would not live this life any longer. 

He steps away from Silencer, moving to the saddlebag, it’s contents calling to him. He removes his gloves and set them aside as he reached for the all too familiar fabric.

The silky blue dress greets him. It nowhere near holds the life of its owner but Ben holds it to his face, breathing it in. He knows she still wears it because it still smells like her. He wonders if she does the same to his clothes. He hopes it gives her the smallest sense of comfort like the soft blue dress does for him.

“Hold on,” he whispers to the silk. “I will hold you again...one day.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up. After so many sunsets he knows what it means. He sets the dress safely aside before looking to the bird. 

He knows he’s out of time for today.

He should triumph that today was the first time in a long time that he held any kind of hope for change but he still feels empty and in wanting something greater. And he knows that feeling will persist until he can be with her once more. His determination to try even harder tomorrow drives him forward.

Shrugging off his cape and tunic and settling them beside her dress, he gives the hawk a final glance. 

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

* * *

After a short debate, Finn and Poe decide it was best to keep the food untouched, even if they were both extremely tempted to eat more and both of them were fairly certain that, despite Ben’s insistence, no one else was coming. 

So they remained there, speaking softly about their rescuer, now knowing his name. 

_Ben Solo._

Neither of them had heard the name before but they both deduce quickly enough that he had been the Captian of the Knights back in Chandrila at some point. What caused him to lose the position remained a mystery. 

Finn and Poe hadn’t lived in Chandrila long before they were arrested so the city was still something of a mystery by the time they were taken to the dungeons and hidden from the sunlight.

After a while, though the fire dies down and Finn stands up, stretching his back a bit. “I better go get more firewood,” he says. Poe claims he would proudly hold down the fort but he slumps back against the log, nodding off and Finn rolls his eyes. “Stay awake, would you?”

“Alright, alright. I’m up,” Poe says, widening his eyes to a ridiculous degree. Even in the darkness, he can see the whites of his eyes by the few dwindling flames. Finn chuckles softly as he heads further into the woods. 

He tries to quickly gather formidable sticks but the further he gets from Poe, the more anxious he gets. Their lifestyle meant they camped out a lot, at least before they were arrested. Finn was very aware of the dangers a dark forest could have. But he usually faced it with his knife and more sensible clothing or at the very least his old boots that actually fit him opposed to the shoes he was wearing now. 

But then he hears a snap of a twig. It unsettles him enough to stop and be very still. He tries to calm himself, wondering if it had been a twig broken beneath his own weight. But as he stands there, he hears it again and he knows he is not alone. 

He is paralyzed with fear for a moment before he thinks of the best course of action. 

Which consisted of him bolting off back for Poe. 

He sprints, bursting through the trees and gasping in relief when he sees Poe.

“What the hell happened?” Poe asks, sitting up.

“I...I heard something.”

“What?”

Finn shakes his head. “I don’t know, but it was terrifying. We need weapons if we’re going to be so exposed like this. It’s–” Finn stops mid-sentence as he sees a strange blur appear above Poe’s head until the flame hits it right and he sees the shine of iron lifted above his head. 

“Poe! Behind you!”

Poe spins around and they see the face of the toothless man from earlier, his hatchet slashing down and striking the log where Poe's head had just been.

“Whoa! Easy, easy!” Poe shouted.

The man struggles for a moment to unlodge the hatchet before holding it up high again. “I know you’ve got more money. Give it to me and perhaps I’ll spare ya.”

“W-We don’t have anymore. We gave you everything we had!” Finn shouts to him, hoping Ben would hear the commotion and come through with his sword or his crossbow.

“Liar!” the man spits out, lunging towards them, ready to take another swing. 

But then there’s a mad thumping from behind them and suddenly a loud growl rushes past them. Finn doesn’t see anything but felt the brush of something bolt through the glen as it attacked the man with the hatchet, digging its teeth into his flesh. 

The man screams in agony and combined with the growls and snarls, Finn and Poe turn to each other as they both understand the new threat that has arrived. 

_Wolf._

Quickly they bolt for the stables, calling Ben’s name. “Ben! Ben, hurry!”

They know he asked to not be disturbed but considering this was rather urgent, Ben couldn’t get upset with them for this.

“Ben, wake up, there’s a–” Poe starts but as they enter the stable, they find only the horses and no one else. 

“Where the hell did he–” Finn starts to ask but Poe interrupts him, pointing to the crossbow and arrows. 

“Come on. We can get it ourselves,” Poe tells him, pulling him along to the back of the stables and peering through a window. 

They try to get the man and wolf back in their sight, fighting with the darkness of the night as they try to figure out how to load the arrows into the mechanisms without shooting themselves in the foot. 

But before they could succeed, the arrow is snatched away from Finn’s hand.

They both turn with a gasp, expecting to see Ben standing beside them but instead they are faced with the face of a woman.

A very beautiful woman who had just stolen the ammunition they needed to kill one or both of their prospective attackers. 

Finn moves to snatch it back, but she is faster. “You won’t be needing this,” is all she says before she puts the arrow back in the quiver and steps away. She had on a long black cape, the hood over her head. It hid her entire body as it was made for someone much larger than herself. And it looked exactly like Ben's.

But then she moves to leave the stables and Poe and Finn chase after her, urging her to stay inside. “No, you can’t go out there. There’s a wolf!” Finn shouts.

She doesn’t seem scared or the slightest bit concerned. They would think she didn’t understand English had she not already spoken it. “Lady, it ripped a man’s throat out!” Poe practically screams in her face, trying to make her see reason.

The woman remains still, looking almost amused by their hysterics. “By the looks of things, the wolf saved you.” She steps out of the stables then and Poe and Finn watch, holding their hands as tightly as possible, terrified of what was to become of her.

The hatchet man’s screams had stopped, a clear sign he was dead. The wolf loses interest once it sees the shape of the woman appear. It starts to charge for her and Finn and Poe shut their eyes unable to watch, knowing any second the air would be filled with screams. If only she would have listened. 

But the screams never come. Instead, they hear the faint sound of her voice speaking softly.

Poe shakes him a bit. “Finn...open your eyes,” he says softly.

Finn looks out to the glen, seeing the woman petting the wolf behind the ears as the animal nuzzled against her, wagging its tail before they both turned, strolling further through the woods.

“What in the hell?” Poe breathes out. 

Finn spins around, checking to make sure Ben was still gone. Strangely enough, it looked like his clothes had been folded and placed on the hay next to his boots. All except his cape which seemed to be on the woman who practically appeared from thin air.

“Poe?”

“What?”

“Something weird is going on.”

“Yeah...I noticed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter sad girl that deserves to find happiness with sad boy.  
>   
>   
> And lol, Finn and Poe share one brain cell
> 
> Very briefly, I just want to tell you that when the hatchet dude asked them what they were doing on their property at the beginning of the chapter, I exercised a lot of restraint not to put "What are ye doin' in meh swamp?"
> 
> Also, an ode to avidvampirehunter as I have named Ben's horse Silencer because it's perfect and I love him. Her writing is amazing although I'm sure you already know that.


	3. Quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3!!

Finn gasps for air as he wakes with a start, instinctively reaching for Poe. But then the large form of Ben comes into focus. He had kicked his boot to wake him up. 

“Time to move, everybody up!”

“Ben!” Finn jumped to his feet, both relieved and startled to see him. “Ben, where the hell were you last night? We were nearly killed!”

Ben’s face doesn’t change. “I told you I was not to be disturbed.”

“Well we were going to disturb you anyway but you weren’t there!” Poe shouted then. 

“Well, my apologies,” Ben said, moving to leave as if he was apologizing for a roughs night sleep and ignoring the fact that they were nearly killed. 

“What the hell is wrong with that guy?” Poe asks under his breath. “You think he’d be more concerned with our well being after all he went through to save us.”

They rise and step outside. Finn looks around, wondering what happened to the woman they saw. He would have thought it was a dream but Poe was clearly looking for her too. 

“Where’d she go? The woman?” Finn asked, his head spinning all around.

“I don’t know,” Poe shrugs, doing the same.

“Ben!” Finn calls, trying to slow him down as he had already saddled up his horse. The hawk is perched back on the fence, watching him once again. “Ben, have you seen anyone else this morning?”

The man scoffs, the closest Finn has heard to a laugh although no smile breaches his lips. “I saw the dead bodies of our host in the glen if that’s what you’re referring to,” Ben says nonchalantly while he continued to prepare his horse. 

“No, I mean, like a woman. A young woman.”

Ben’s hands stop and his shoulders slump. “No...I haven’t, I’m afraid.”

Finn sighs, realizing she must have been long gone. After all, she walked with wolves, she was clearly fearless enough to go anywhere. 

“Was she…” Ben starts, finally turning to face them although his eyes look to the bird. He seems to war with himself if he should speak or not as he purses his lips. “Was she alright?” he asks, his eyes filled with sudden sorrow. But he chases it away with a clear of his throat. “What I mean is, what...what did she look like?”

“Well, actually I thought she was wearing your cape,” Finn recalls. Finn looks to the man’s effects, seeing his black cape draped over the saddle. Perhaps she had returned it to Ben and suddenly a new thought strikes Finn. “Ben, were you...with _company_ last night?”

“No,” Ben quickly answers. “Clearly I still have my cape. She must have had her own. Just prepare your horse, get ready, and let’s get a move on.”

“But you weren’t in the stables. I was just wondering if you–”

“I told you to _‘get ready!’_ We need to move!” Ben spits back, stomping away from the conversation to kick out the dwindling embers of the fire out in the glen. 

“The man is touchy, Finn,” Poe warns. “You can never get a straight answer out of a guy like him. Very emotional.”

That was true. He hadn’t even revealed the truth of why he had rescued them yet. Hopefully, more would become clear today although Finn has a suspicion that it may only leave him with more questions than answers. 

Finn tried to stay optimistic though. He and Poe have survived another day of freedom. So he pats him on the back as they prepare the horse. A fair distance from Ben.

“If you consider Ben an emotional man, then what kind of man are you?” Finn asks him with a smirk. 

“I’m _your_ man,” Poe answers smoothly, with a wink. 

Finn scoffs. “Well, I think we both know you’re just dramatic but I’m flattered.”

* * *

They ride behind Ben on their own horse which they lovingly had named, _Bebe_. He was a white horse with eight large ginger spots. Finn had not been able to appreciate just how gorgeous he was in his frantic state yesterday but his continued survival has allowed him to notice the smallest of beauties. Poe as well as he continually pats the steed on the mane.

They felt bad to both ride him at once so they took turns with one of them walking beside the horse, grateful that their host and rescuer seemed to allow a more leisurely pace than yesterday. 

And yet, they still have no clue where they were going. Ben Solo hardly sparred them a passing glance. 

Finn was dying to know what job he had in mind and just how they played a part in that. Clearly, he wasn’t paying close enough attention if he thought he and Poe were anything more than skilled thieves. 

Which, given the warm welcome he received from the knights of Chandrila, perhaps Ben was a man desperate enough to require the help from fools such as themselves. 

“This is ridiculous. Why are we following him when he won’t tell us what’s going on?” Poe whispers.

“I don’t know,” Finn says quietly. “Should we be ready to run?”

Poe shakes his head, “I don’t think we would get very far. He went up against every one of those knights and survived, with us in tow. If we bolt, I don’t doubt that he would make it to the top of our list of people we need to worry about chasing us down.”

Finn nods. “Then maybe we need to confront him. Ask him for ourselves?”

Poe chuckles. “I don’t think he’s one for conversation.”

They had taken the food that remained in the homestead of their _gracious_ host this morning so they tried to ration the bread and the apples throughout the day. Ben seemed to manage fine, which was surprising given his size, but Finn and Poe had to show great restraint not to devour everything at once. They had been in those prisons for so long with only the occasional miserable mush to keep them going. Hunger had plagued them for so long. To have food once again in reach but knowing they had to preserve it was difficult to deal with. 

So when Ben hopped off his horse, claiming they were stopping for the evening, Finn and Poe were relieved to know that they could justify themselves to another meal.

And yet it wasn’t even sundown yet. 

The closer they got, Finn noticed how exhausted the man looked. “Are you alright, sir? Ben? Sir?” Finn asks dumbly, unsure how to address this man at this point. 

“I’m fine,” he says briskly, moving to sit upon a rock. The hawk sits upon the arm of his right glove. 

Finn has never seen anyone so devoted to an animal before. He’s seen many men hold a fondness for dogs for herding purposes or horses for speed but this was different. He was almost protective of the hawk. Which was odd. As little as Finn knew of hawks he knew they were fierce predators. To see Ben be as doting as he was was surprising. Especially since his gentility and care did not extend to much else. Certainly not to his manners. 

The man runs his free hand through his hair, looking troubled. 

“Are you ill?” Poe asks him, patting Bebe on the hide after tying his reigns around a tree branch.

“No. Just tired. I never rest very well,” Ben tells them. 

Finn tries to offer what he can, unsure how to continue further. “Would you like us to gather wood for the fire?”

The man grunts, raising his arm so the hawk would take flight before walking back over to his own horse and grabbing his crossbow. “I shouldn’t be long,” he says as he marched off into the forest. When he’s about ten paces away, the hawk calls out with a squawk as it follows after him. 

* * *

Finn and Poe had found a small fallen tree and he dragged it back to camp, thinking it would be ample firewood if he could chop it up a little. Poe smirked as he walked over for Ben’s sword in the scabbard secured on his horse. “We can cut it down a bit.”

Finn doubts Ben would approve but he hadn’t been gone long. They could return it before he found out. 

And that works for several minutes as they quickly strike the tree, resulting in a fair amount of fire wood. But then Poe holds the sword back, over his shoulder, ready to strike it down again when suddenly Ben appears, taking hold of the blade with a gloved hand and a scowl on his face. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“F-Firewood,” Poe mutters, his eyes wide.

Ben throws two dead rabbits to the ground, taking his sword back in his own hands. “This sword has been in my family for generations. It may be no stranger to dishonor but I will not sully it further by reducing it to chopping firewood.”

“Three generations?”

“Yes.” Ben draws their attention to the handle, the crossguard. He points to a blue crystal at the heart of the crossguard. “This one represents my family name.” He points to a green emerald at one of the guards, his lips curling in disdain. “This was placed here by a foolish man who happens to share my lineage.” He points next to a red ruby at the pommel. “And this was placed here by my grandfather, many years ago.” 

He looks to the last stone forlornly. Not disdain as he did for the emerald but almost sorrow. And maybe fear as well. 

“By accepting this legacy, it is up to me to fulfill what remains,” Ben says quietly as he turns the sword over. There is a vacant place where another jewel would likely fit. A vacancy Ben looks at with continued sadness.

“Are you having trouble finding a jewel to fit?” Finn asks.

Ben shakes his head. “What I find trouble in is a reason why I deserve to lay claim to it at all. It won’t truly be mine until I carry out my destiny. For every generation that has wielded it has answered upon a quest. Good _and_ bad. All of them looking for answers.”

“Destiny and answers?” Poe nods. “Sounds good. Ambitious. What kind of quest were you thinking of to find answers of your own?”

Ben turns away from them, his eyes steady on the sword in his hands. “I already have found my answer. But as for my quest, I must kill a man.”

Finn’s whole body freezes but Poe remains calm. Or at least, as calm as he can, scratching the back of his neck. “Tell us. Does this walking corpse have a name?” he asks with a very Poe Dameron grin. 

Ben turns to them, his countenance filled with purpose. His eyes were full of hurt but also determination. “His Grace of Chandrila. Anthony Snoke.”

“The Bishop?” Finn asks incredulously. 

Ben nods. 

Suddenly it becomes clear. The reason why he saved them. The job he said he needed help with was quickly being revealed. 

And Finn feels the need to back away slowly. Poe looks like he does as well. 

“Well,” Poe claps. “It sounds like you have a pretty busy schedule ahead of you. And we,” he chuckles nervously, gesturing to himself and then to Finn, “we’ve already been enough of a burden to you. So, perhaps with that,” Poe wraps an arm around Finn’s shoulders, urging him to walk away with him. “We will bid you good luck and I do hope our paths will all cross again one day.”

The two of them spin around but Ben remains standing were he was, with the sword cradled in his hands. With a loud booming voice, he calls out to them. “I need you both to guide me back into Chandrila.”

Finn spins around. “No. Not for the life of my mother. Even if I knew who she was.”

“Yeah. And I knew and loved my mother and I still wouldn’t,” Poe cracks. 

Ben seemed to ignore these comments as well as their sudden defensive stature. “You two are the only ones who have ever escaped from the dungeons before. I have seen those dungeons myself. I thought it impossible. But you succeeded.”

Poe gave a humorless scoff while Finn tried to make the man see reason. “It was chance! Pure chance! A once in a lifetime miracle! We fell down a hole and followed our noses.”

Ben slumps his head, lowering his sword to the ground but holding it as a hiker would his walking stick. “I have been waiting two years for a chance. For such a miracle that you speak of. We–” his eyes flare wide and he quickly speaks over himself, “ _I_ cannot wait any longer. And when I heard the warning bells of Chandrila, I knew the moment of my destiny had come. You two,” he points to them both, “are to guide me back into the city, _undetected,_ so that I may seek my vengeance upon the man who has brought only pain.”

“Us?” Poe asks furiously.

Ben nods casually, unaffected by their emotions. 

“Sir,” Finn starts shaking his head, “The truth is that the matters of our escape remain even now, quite unbelievable. We’re modestly sized enough to wedge where we need to go. For a man as large as yourself, you would drown in the sewers, getting stuck at every turn. Your shoulders alone are too broad. It’s impossible!”

Ben looks unchanged at these explanations. “Even then, we find another way. We plan. We do not give up until the Bishop is dead.”

“We will have been killed long before that!” Poe shouts. “It’s suicide! In case you didn’t notice, Finn and I are in desperate need of a break, not another trip to Chandrila. The day we fled was meant to be the day we hung. No matter the honor you search for in your quest will convince us to return. If you’re searching for honor find it yourself!” Poe screams at him, grabbing Finn’s hand.

Finn clears his throat, looking to the man who now only looked to the hawk perched on the branch beside him. 

“There are strange forces with you. Magic or the likes of which I do not understand. All I know is that they frighten us,” Finn tells him, honestly. Tears burning in his eyes. “You have given us our lives. For that we are thankful. But the truth is we can never repay you.” He looks to Poe, to their entwined hands. “We fight to survive, to live, to love, to see another day. That is _our_ quest. I don’t think you would kill us for being what we are...but perhaps it is better to be dead than to return to Chandrila.”

Ben says nothing and offers nothing but to stare at his feet. So Finn pulls Poe’s hand until they were heading back for Bebe, but then there’s an odd sound that whirls, interrupted by a ferocious strike. Finn jolts, looking beside him and the tree, and inches away from him is pierced by Ben’s sword. 

He had hurled it from where he stood with such ferocity and precision that Finn had never seen. Unless of course he missed and he was actually trying to hit him instead of the tree. But no. It was a warning. A warning not to go any further. 

“You fail to realize your quest is no different than mine. I fight for love as well as you. For my heart! For the heart of–” He stops himself, as if to fight a scream or a sob. But his eyes remain clear when he opens them again. “I fight for every part of me, even those which exist in the body of another. A body I have lost in sight and touch but not in memory. Not in hope. I will not lose hope. And if I have the chance to save it, to seek vengeance for this love then I will. But I need your help,” he says gravely.

His strides are slow but sure as he lumbers towards them and stands before them, his eyes dark. “And you _will_ help me,” he says through his teeth. 

* * *

Ben disappears after he tied them up around two trees. Opposite to each other but still nearly ten feet apart. It had been at dusk before the sun had set, but Ben quickly fled, saying he would return in the morning and they would begin their plannings of how to breach Chandrila. 

Finn and Poe felt nothing but defeat and further confusion at the man.

“I take it back. The man isn’t emotional, he’s fucking mental,” Poe huffs. “And wherever he’s off moping, I hope he can hear me!” Poe shouts into the forest around them. 

“Poe, knock it off.”

“You said it yourself. I just hope he kills us before the Chandrila knights catch sight of us again.”

Finn didn't know what to say, although he agrees with him. It seems no matter where they go, someone is trying to kill them. All because they were different. 

“What the hell was he going on about anyway? What the fuck does the Bishop–”

Suddenly the snap of a twig interrupts and both Finn and Poe freeze. At first, Finn thinks it might be Ben, but then he thinks of that vicious wolf from the night before and all the other things that may be lurking between the trees. 

Panic seizes him and tugs at the restraints tied around him, fighting to get free. “Poe, there’s...there’s something out there.”

Poe tries to turn behind him, to see who or what was approaching, but he can’t. And even if he could, it was too dark to see. 

Until a dark shadow, like the reaper himself stands between them. They both scream and kick their legs. “Ahh! It’s a spirit!” Finn cried. 

“Calm down!” it cried in a familiar voice before removing the hood, revealing the same woman from the night before. And once again clad in the cape that Finn is certain belonged to Ben. “For kriff’s sake. I’m not a spirit,” she huffs. 

“Y-You’re the woman from last night,” Finn manages, squinting to try and see more of her. “You’re alive.”

“It appears so,” she says sarcastically, moving along until Finn couldn’t see her anymore. “Why would you think me dead?”

Finn can’t think of an answer. True she had walked with the wolf. But the wolf was taken with her. Perhaps he should not be so surprised that she is alive but rather that she is here again. 

“What are you?” he asks instead. 

“What do you mean 'what?'” she asks. "Do I not look like a 'who?'"

Poe cuts in, following Finn’s line of questioning. “You say you’re not a spirit...but you’re not flesh either are you?” 

The woman gives a deep sigh as she kneels between them. She bites her lip, not looking at them as she stays there. Finn almost thinks she won’t speak again at all, remaining in mystery like everything else around them.

It is a long moment before she says anything and when she does, Finn flinches a bit in surprise. 

"No. I suppose I'm not. If anything, then I must be sorrow."

Finn doesn't understand and he cranes his neck and squints his eyes to try and make out Poe's face but the woman is in the way. He tries to think of something to say but then she speaks again.

“He tied you up, didn’t he?” she asks them, a question of her own. “Ben?” 

“So _you do_ know Ben?” Finn asks her. 

She scoffs. “I know that man better than I know myself sometimes. And I know why he’s doing this. He’s asked you to guide us back to Chandrila, hasn’t he?”

“How did you–” Poe starts but Finn cuts him off. 

“Yes.”

The woman nods, taking a breath, pacing a bit between them. “Why does he think you two can get back? Where did he find you?”

“We were nearly killed at an outpost yesterday morning when Ben swooped in and saved us,” Finn explains. “The knights were chasing us after we fled from the dungeons."

“The dungeons of Chandrila?” she sounds to be in disbelief. 

“Yes,” Poe answers and Finn wishes he could see him more clearly. 

“Oh no,” the woman cries, her face diving into her hands. She sounds horrified. 

Finn tries to think of a solid question to ask. But also something that won’t upset her further. Finn has never had much experience with women, especially crying ones, so he’s not sure what to do. He knows Poe doesn’t either, given the wild expression on his face. 

After a long moment, she turns back to look at Finn. “No one’s ever escaped before. Ben would have found you no matter where you went.” She sniffles. “What were you in the dungeons for?”

She asks them next. 

Poe clears his throat. “Well, we had a very prestigious pickpocketing routine which the Chandrila officials didn’t appreci–”

“They found us,” Finn blurts out. 

“Finn,” Poe warns.

“Who cares if she knows. We’re gonna die anyway.”

Poe sighs, “Fine. Go ahead,” he concedes. 

“They found us...” Finn continues, “...in bed together. That’s the real reason we were arrested.”

“You’re lovers?” she asks in a breath.

Poe chuckles. “Well, you’re the only person to ever call us that...but yes. We love each other very much.”

“They were going to hang you for that,” she says. It’s not a question, but more of a revelation. One that makes her sound almost horrified.

“Yes,” Poe says sadly.

All of a sudden she stands up, pulling something from within the cape and it shines in the moonlight. 

_A knife._

Finn’s legs kick wildly, trying to break free. “No!” he shouts as she comes closer. He shuts his eyes, hearing Poe’s shouts as well as he knows she’s coming for him.

But all he feels is the rope around him fall away as she lets him go. She’s closer to him now and he can make out more of her face. She had short hair for a woman. It was cut to her chin. But the most he took notice of was the tears running down her face. 

As Finn sits up, free of the binds, Poe’s screams stop too as he realizes what she’s doing.

_She’s freeing them._

She stands up, moving over to Poe to do the same. He rubs at his tender wrists. “Why are you doing this?”

She sniffles again, standing up and to the side. 

“No one should be condemned for who they love or how they love,” she speaks clearly, wiping at the tears on her face. “Not when the condemning is done by the men who are incapable of it. It’s not fair. You should not be imprisoned by chains, iron cages, rope, or even guilt for loving who you do. And although that is not what Ben is restraining you for you don’t–”

“Wait,” Finn stops her. “You want us to runaway?”

“I know what it is like to be imprisoned for love. I already know killing that man won’t save us. It is just Ben’s anger that makes him think it will solve anything. And dragging two others into it won’t do any good. I don’t want you subjected to any more pain when I know how it feels. So go. Be on your way. If you’re not long gone by daybreak, Ben _will_ find you,” she fans her hands away from herself, urging them to flee.

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute,” Poe holds up his hands. Finn steps beside him, both of them looking to this girl. “Who the hell even are you? How the hell are you keeping up with us in the day when you’re never even here?”

She turns away, ignoring his questions. “Listen, you’re free to go so just go! You can’t help us.”

“Help what? What is going on, lady?”

Just then there’s a loud howl that calls out through the night. That of a wolf. 

Finn grips Poe’s arm and they both tense up in fear. “It’s another wolf.”

The woman looks at them, her brows scrunching together. “You still don’t get it, do you?” She shakes her head at them when they just stare at her with wide eyes. “Our prison, _mine and his..._ ” she points to the trees where the howl was heard, “...are neverending. Our prisons are ourselves!"

At first, Finn thinks she’s trying to be poetic, but then he hears the wolf give another howl and how her tears fall once more as she hears it. And it all seems to fall in place. As impossible as it seemed, the sadness that plagued this woman was evident. 

“Ben is the wolf?” he croaks out. The woman nods shakily, her tears falling.

“What?” Poe turns to him, confused. 

Finn grips him by the arms. “ _It’s Ben!_ Ben is the wolf!”

That would explain her behavior with the wolf the night before and how the wolf seemed to take to her as a puppy and not a maneater. Almost like how Ben took to the bird. _Which meant..._

Poe seems to understand in an instant as well as he gasps under his breath. “Holy shit. Then that means she’s...are you the…you have to be...” Poe can’t seem to say it but Finn knows what he means.

_She is the hawk._

They both turn back to the woman, looking at her as if she was a wild creature. No longer just a woman but something else entirely. “What the hell are you people?” Poe asks her, backing away. 

“I already told you. Our love became our chains, and it’s all because of _him.”_

“Who? You mean Ben?” Finn asks. 

“No!” she cries. “The Bishop!”

 _The Bishop._ The man Ben said he was set out to kill. 

“Snoke did this to you?” Poe asks. 

The woman starts to sob, covering his ears. “Please. Don’t even say his name. It makes me sick,” she begs, turning away from them. 

“I’m sorry, madam,” Poe tries to apologize. “This is just all...a little odd. We don’t normally talk to bird ladies. Or hawk ladies for that matter.”

The woman shakes her head, unamused at his words. “If you’re here to laugh at us then just be on your way.”

“No, madam,” Finn reaches for her. “We’re not laughing. This is just all a little shocking.” He insists, smacking Poe on the arm a little. “Forgive us, we haven’t been properly introduced. My name is Finn. This is Poe Dameron.” He offers his hand but she doesn’t shake. She’s still sniffling and wiping her eyes. “What is your name?”

She finally looks to them again. “I’m Rey,” she says at last.

“Rey,” Finn repeats. An odd name for a woman but he doesn’t question it. He just tries to run with it at this point. There were plenty of other oddities that demanded his attention. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rey. I’m sorry we had to meet like this.”

“I’m sorry too. But I think you should just leave.” She turns away from them. “You don’t belong in this mess. Running might solve your problems but Ben and I don't have that luxury so go. You deserve your freedom where you can find it. And it certainly isn’t here.”

She leaves then, turning away for good and they watch as she puts the hood back over her head and steps towards Ben’s horse and petting him affectionately before stepping further into the forest, out of sight. 

Poe yanks on Finn’s hand, back towards Bebe. “Let's go.”

“We’re leaving?”

Poe snorts. “Of course we’re leaving.”

“But...but what about–”

“You heard her. She told us to leave. That even if we wanted to help we wouldn’t be able to do anything. We would just all end up dead.”

“Poe, in case you didn’t notice, no matter where we go, people are trying to kill us. She told us to run but where can we go? No matter where we go, no one accepts us.” Finn cries. But he points back to the forest. “No one but her. Rey and...and even Ben.”

“Just because Ben saved us doesn’t mean he accepts us. He was keeping us alive for his own agenda.”

“But still, they’re...Poe whatever has happened to them, the Bishop did it to them. He’s the reason they are stuck like that. Ben said he’s waited two years for a chance. A chance to fix this.”

“So? What can we possibly do?”

“He said he needs a way in. You and I know those knights and that man that claims Chadrila are a bunch of crazy bastards. If Ben saved us to help him, then maybe we really can.”

“Rey didn’t think so. She told us to high tail out of here and as insane as terrifying as this all is, I'd wager that whatever Ben is planning is suicidal. For all of us!”

“No, but Poe. She said they are imprisoned no matter where they go. Whatever spell is using them keeps them from each other. They're always together but eternally apart. I mean, can you even imagine if we were to face that?”

Poe grips his sides, settling his forehead against Finn’s. He gives a heavy sigh and Finn knows he's struck a chord. “No. No, I can’t imagine facing any of this if you weren’t here.”

“If we needed help, and we found someone, _anyone,_ willing to give it, even if it turned out to be pointless, wouldn’t we at least want to try?” Finn asks. “Wouldn’t we want to take that chance? To be heard out by anyone that might be willing to offer what they can.”

Poe sighs. “Yes. You’re right.” He looks to the horse beside them. “And I also know that if we ran, and if Ben or those knights didn’t chase us down, we would end up in another city or kingdom and it would be Chandrila all over again.”

“So we’re going to help?”

Poe nods. “Helping it is,” he says softly. “I’d follow you anywhere.”

Finn wraps his arms around him tightly. “Thank you. As crazy as this seems...I think this is the right path. I think we were meant to find them.”

Poe chuckles. “Find _them?_ Or do you mean getting our asses saved by the moody wolf man?”

“Doesn’t matter. We're here.”

* * *

Rey doesn’t turn back as she walks through the trees, searching for him.   
  
She wonders if she did the right thing, letting them go. She knows Ben will be furious when he finds them gone. Clearly he didn’t want to risk them getting away as he must think they are their only chance getting back into Chandrila. But Rey knows what he’s doing.

He’s out to kill Snoke. And as much as Rey would like to do the same, killing him will not lift the curse. And getting themselves killed along with Finn and Poe wasn’t worth it. Not when she can tell that the two men have been through enough for their feelings and their love. 

She knows he’s trying to be hopeful. He’s trying to avenge them in the only way he thinks he can. But they know there’s only one way to break this curse and it remained impossible.

She would like to hold out hope that she would see him in the flesh again but she just isn’t sure. 

She feels like a version of Ben she knew only when she first met him. Her outlook has become bleak and dark much like the night she was constantly shrouded in. And perhaps it was the sunlight that surrounded Ben that was making him think that a plan this foolish would fix things.

She wouldn’t call Ben foolish, but perhaps desperate and frustrated. Not that she’s been able to discuss such matters with him. But like she told Finn and Poe, she knows him better than she knows herself half the time. And he knows her. 

Just then she hears the sound of familiar strides approach her and she sighs in slight relief to see the black wolf.

She sniffles as she kneels down. “Hey,” she breathes out. He is happy to see her again, although she knows this isn’t really Ben. Just like how she knows that during the day, the hawk that flies with him isn't really her although she does feel like she has fleeting dreams of flying and maybe seeing his face. But she could be confusing those with her own memories. 

Still, she calls him Ben and she speaks to him, even though she knows she is really just talking to herself. It helps her to not feel so alone. 

"I'm sorry," she tells him as he licks her face. "I know you'll be furious when you've seen they've gone. But we both know killing him won't solve anything. It will make this all the more permanent. "

The wolf yawns then and she hugs him close, scratching behind his ears. "I know. I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to do. But unless we face him together, it will never be broken." Her tears resurge and she hides her face against her shoulder. "And when we can never be together, it is impossible. He made sure of that."

The wold prods at her face with a wet nose, licking her cheeks, and Rey chuckles. She had seen him tear a man's throat out the night before, which was not uncommon in the wild woods, but even the wolf remained ever gentle with her, just as Ben always did. 

She misses him so much and her tears get lost in his fur as she hugs him close. Glad that he is here in some way but angry that she may never again feel his arms circle her and comfort her how they once did.

As the wolf lays down beside her and she pets him softly, he dozes off. 

She watches fondly for just a moment before she thinks back to the two men she had untied. Hopefully, they were already on their way. 

* * *

Ben slides his boots on after checking them for spiders. 

He stands back up, grabbing his tunic and pulling it over his head as he walks back toward the camp where he left Finn and Poe. 

He feels guilty for tying them up but he couldn’t let them run. He needed them if he was to be any help to Rey. As he moves back through the trees, feeling like death itself, he finds the hawk perched on a branch. And draped beside her is his cape and the blue silky dress.

He sighs as he takes them in his hands. He practically cradles them in his arms, knowing only just minutes earlier, they had been on her body.

He envies them. These fabrics of all things! But he hates that they get to know her shape every night when he has had to go two years with just his memories of her. He brings the dress to his face, admiring the softness. Nothing out in the wild was soft like this was. Or smelled as sweetly as she did. 

He needed to hold her again. He could not accept any future in which he couldn’t. So he throws the clothes over his shoulder and looks to the hawk who was watching him as always. “Rough night?”

She squeaks softly. 

He attempts to chuckle but it was more of a scoff. “Me too.” He offers his arm and the hawk flutters over to perch upon him as he continues the walk back. But as he approaches, he stops in his tracks as he can clearly see the two trees that had cut rope at the bases and no sign of the men he had left there.

Panic strikes him as he rushes forward, feeling ready to bolt. But then he finds them sitting not too far away, cuddled close next to a small smoldering fire. As he steps closer they must hear him because Poe’s head pops up and he taps Finn on the shoulder to wake up.

“Ben! You’re back.”

“What happened?” he grits through his teeth.

“We got a little cold, we built a fire,” Poe explains as if that’s the answer Ben was looking for.

“No. I meant your bonds are broken and you’re still here. Why didn’t you run?” His heart pounds as he feels like he already knows the answer.

They stand, looking to him with eyes full of pity and he realizes something has changed. 

“Did she–” he tries to bite his tongue but at this point, given how they look to the bird on his arm with newfound awe, he suspects they already know. “Did she cut you loose?”

They nod their heads. “Yes,” Finn says.

Ben shuts his eyes tight. He suspected that could happen. He knew it would upset her if she saw them tied up but he hoped she would understand that if they were to have any hope, it lied with these two men. And yet, when they were given freedom, they stayed. Something had changed and Ben knows it requires a conversation. Something of which Ben has never excelled at. Perhaps only with Rey herself was talking not a burden. 

He steps closer to them, not in the mood to shout. He didn’t have the energy. He gives a big sigh before he asks, “What did she tell you?”

Finn and Poe look to each other before Poe answers. “Enough.”

And then Finn. “Enough to know that at day, she is the hawk...and at night you are the wolf.”

Ben has never heard those words from anyone but himself. To hear it in another voice made it sound ridiculous. Almost comical when it was in fact a living hell. But he just clears his throat, trying to school his features. “Is that all?”

“She told us to run as soon as she cut us free. She said that we needed to find a place where our love would not become a prison, like your love has done to both of you,” Finn says, stepping closer. 

Ben’s eyes burn and he spins away, pretending as if he had to tend to his horse. He would not let them see him cry. 

She’s right. This is a prison, isn’t it? Just because their wrists weren’t bound in iron didn’t mean they were free. Far from it. They were trapped in the worst way possible and he could only hope she would cling to the possibility that they could escape this together. 

“Ben?” Finn asks, and Ben can hear him stepping closer.

“What?” he snaps, not enjoying his vulnerability being so blatant before them.

“Well, we know what the chances are going to be, and we know why Rey told us to run...but Poe and I have decided we would like to help you and Rey.”

_Rey._

He hasn’t heard her name spoken aloud in so long. To hear her name from his lips and know that they have seen her, that they have spoken, tears him in two. 

He sees the proof of it every morning, in her lonely dress and his cape but sometimes he fears it’s all a horrible dream and she’s been gone for so long that any traces of her are just his imagination. 

But no. They saw her. And he has a thousand questions. A thousand things he wants them to tell her. But for now, he has to focus. He has to allow himself to hear what Finn has just said.

_They want to help._

He knows there are tears in his eyes when he looks back to them but he doesn’t care anymore. He can’t. Not when this morning seems to shine brighter than most.

“Thank you,” he croaks out. “Thank you both so much,” he tells them with gratitude he has not felt for anyone for so long. 

He knew just because they have accepted help does not mean victory, but damn, it feels like half the journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am garbage

**Author's Note:**

> I can't write a story without making a playlist for it. Not gonna lie, it's probably like the generic 80's love song playlist but I think it captures the Reylo Ladyhawke mood I'm trying to sell...which is honestly just cheesy but like...classic cheesy, you know?
> 
> [Listen here if you like to cry dance to 80's love songs that probably have nothing to do with this story and I just tell myself they do](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/74hb8ieuwv6OT8M0v6FxVp)


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